


Who He'd Miss Most

by OgdensOldFirewhiskey



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Bromance, Canon Compliant, Family, Friendship, Harry Potter & Ron Weasley Friendship, Minor Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Missing Scene, One Shot, Other, POV Ron Weasley, Ron Weasley is a Good Friend, Ron Weasley-centric, Supportive Ron Weasley, Teen Romance, Triwizard Tournament
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:27:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29476974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OgdensOldFirewhiskey/pseuds/OgdensOldFirewhiskey
Summary: Ron and Hermione leave Harry to fend for himself in the library, trying desperately to find a spell that would allow him to breathe underwater, and they learn why McGonagall sent Fred and George to fetch them. And it isn't because they're in trouble for helping Harry.Ron POV, missing scene from the chapter "The Second Task" in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Relationships: Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 19
Kudos: 92





	Who He'd Miss Most

“We’ll meet you back in the Common Room,” Hermione told Harry as Ron’s stomach clenched. “Bring as many of these books as you can, okay?”

“Right,” replied Harry. Ron thought he looked a bit green. He wanted to say something reassuring, but couldn’t think of a single thing that made surviving an hour underwater seem any more achievable, so he settled for a commiserating grimace that Harry did not return.

Ron exchanged an anxious look with Hermione as they followed Fred and George from the library. They were nowhere close to figuring out how Harry was meant to survive the task tomorrow, and now Harry was going to have to continue without them.

“What did McGonagall say, exactly?” Ron asked Fred desperately as soon as they had exited the library. “This had better be important.”

“Not much, just that she needed to see you two-” he said, gesturing to them both, “-immediately. What’re you in trouble for, little brother?”

“You two didn’t go off and… I dunno, discover any secret chambers—” George suggested.

“Wander into the Forbidden Forest?” Fred added.

“Brew any illegal potions?” George prompted, smiling slyly.

“Get caught in any broom—"

“No,” interrupted Hermione with a deep sigh. “But we _have_ been helping Harry with the second task.”

“I thought it might be that,” said Fred, the teasing gone from his voice. “Has he worked out what the task is, then?”

“Yeah, and it’s just as mental as the first one,” Ron grumbled. “But he hasn’t got a clue what to do. We’ve been in there for ages trying to work out a spell, but…” He shrugged in defeat.

“What has he got to do?” George asked, looking uncharacteristically concerned.

“He’s—”

“ _Ron_ ,” Hermione chided, grabbing at his arm. “We aren’t supposed to tell anyone. And besides, I imagine we’re about to be told off for helping in the first place. We shouldn’t –”

“Alright, alright,” said Ron unhappily. “We won’t say. But he’s either going to snuff it or look like a prat.”

George grimaced. “I hope he looks like a prat, then.”

“Me too,” Ron agreed, the dread in his stomach growing larger as he imagined Harry trying to reach the bottom of the lake without magic. He remembered with a pang that Harry had never been a good swimmer.

“Don’t worry,” said Fred, clapping Ron on the shoulder. “They’ve done loads to make sure nobody dies this time. Harry’ll be fine.”

“Oh, I hope so,” Hermione said, wringing her hands anxiously.

They’d reached the door to McGonagall’s office. The twins bade them goodbye with rather less ribbing than they might have otherwise done, and Ron and Hermione knocked on the door.

“Come in,” McGonagall’s voice called from inside the office.

They walked inside to find that McGonagall was not alone. Ron was immensely surprised to see that Chang girl – the one who Harry had asked to the Yule Ball – sitting stiffly in one chair, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Ron had never seen the other, smaller girl sitting in the chair beside her before, but it wasn’t hard to guess who she was. The long, silvery blonde hair and blue eyes left little room for doubt – she was related to Fleur, had to be.

Ron looked at Hermione in confusion, and found that she looked as nonplussed as he felt. Were they all in trouble for helping a champion, then? Chang was dating Diggory, after all. But what use could the little girl be with a Triwizard task? She hardly looked old enough to be in school, never mind provide help for a tournament meant for of-age wizards. And she didn't even go to Hogwarts. Could McGonagall punish people who didn't even go to school here?

“Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger,” greeted Professor McGonagall grimly. “Please have a seat.”

They took the two remaining seats and stared at McGonagall expectantly.

“I imagine you all have guessed why you are here,” she said crisply.

Ron opened his mouth – unsure whether he was going to lie and said he didn’t, or tell her that _of course_ they were helping Harry, did she think they were going to let him do it alone? – but the next words out of her mouth made him realize he didn’t know why they were there at all.

“The second task requires that the four champions use their magical abilities to recover the thing most important to them at the bottom of the lake on Hogwarts grounds,” she said, pausing to allow them time to comprehend. “After some consultation with the tournament runners, the four of you have been selected –” she paused, and met Ron’s eyes for the briefest of moments – “as the people whom the four champions will miss most, respectively.”

She waited, but if she had expected any of them to say something she was sorely mistaken. Ron felt he was missing something important and looked at Hermione in some desperation.

“Er, Professor,” said Hermione timidly, breaking the silence. “You don’t mean… well, it sounded like you meant that… that the champions will be recovering _us_ from the lake.”

Professor McGonagall’s lips pressed together so that they formed a very thin line, and Ron understood that she did not at all approve of the news she was delivering. “That is precisely what I meant, Miss Granger.”

Ron’s mouth fell open in shock as he heard both Chang and the little girl gasp. _Was she mental?_ The first task had been ridiculous enough, bringing in bloody _dragons_ for teenagers to get past. But now they were going to store four people – one of whom looked hardly old enough to have a wand – at the bottom of a lake in the hope that the champions would get there in time to save them?

“You will not be in any danger,” Professor McGonagall said quickly. “You will be placed in an enchanted sleep. Professor Dumbledore has spoken extensively with the Merchieftan and made arrangements.”

Hermione made a small whimpering sound. Ron couldn’t blame her. Merpeople were not known to be kind to wizards. Ron glanced to the side. Chang’s look of grim determination told him that Diggory had probably told her what the task was, as Harry had done. Only the little girl looked shocked by this news.

“What if they – the champions, I mean – don’t find us in time?” asked Ron, unable to keep his voice from sounding strangled.

“You will be escorted back to shore by the Merchieftan immediately. I assure you, Mr. Weasley, that no harm will come to you. I would not have permitted it if I thought there was a chance that it would,” McGonagall said sternly, her eyes flashing.

Ron felt reassured in spite of himself. That sounded alright, then. He glanced at Hermione. She still looked anxious, but nodded her head faintly.

“Knowing that I believe there to be little risk to doing so, do you all agree to participate in the task?” McGonagall asked.

They all nodded, glancing around at each other.

“Miss Delacour,” Professor McGonagall said, her voice far gentler than Ron could recall it ever sounding during lessons. “Your parents have agreed to allow you to participate and will be out in the stands during the task.”

“Ze whole time?” the girl squeaked.

“The whole time,” McGonagall said.

The little girl nodded, looking resolved. Ron hoped that Fleur did better in this task than she had with the dragon – the girl was so small. And Diggory would be rescuing Chang, of course. Ron crinkled his brow in confusion. _But, then, who_...

“Do you have any other questions?” asked McGonagall briskly.

“Er, yeah,” said Ron, realizing that things didn’t quite add up. “Why has Harry got two people to rescue?”

McGonagall eyed him over her spectacles shrewdly. “He doesn’t. Miss Granger is here for Mr. Krum.”

Ron sat back in his chair, struck dumb. A boiling, churning sensation began frothing in his stomach. He felt Hermione squirm uncomfortably in the seat next to him but was unable to look at her.

“Anything else?” Professor McGonagall asked, glancing at Ron with a small, amused glint in her eye. The girls must’ve shaken their heads, but Ron didn’t see them because he was still staring into the middle-distance in shock.

“I will return momentarily to cast the enchantment,” she said, standing from her desk and walking swiftly from the room.

“This is _insane_ ,” Ron heard Chang mutter under her breath. “What are they playing at?”

Ron quite agreed with her, but for entirely different reasons.

He rounded on Hermione to find her looking both guilty and defiant at once.

“ _What_ , Ron?” she asked harshly.

“ _You’re_ the person Krum will miss most?” he asked incredulously, feeling irrationally angry all of the sudden.

Hermione glared at him icily. “Oh, _that’s_ nice. You just –”

“He’s known you for _three months_ Hermione. Don’t you find that a little bit strange?”

“We’ve known each other for most of the term thank you very much –”

“What, hasn’t he got any friends he’s known longer than a _term_ —”

“Of _course_ he does, but they’re back at Durmstrang, aren’t they?”

“Any family then?” he said angrily, gesturing to the little girl behind him. “They clearly brought out somebody for Fleur.”

“France is a lot closer than _Bulgaria_ , I expect they couldn’t—”

“Quidditch teammates?” Ron demanded.

“It’s the middle of the season, they can’t—"

“It’s _weird_ ,” said Ron definitively.

“Oh, I’m glad _you_ think it’s weird, I’ll go and tell Mr. Crouch so he can make a rule change, then!” she snapped angrily.

“He should!” Ron retorted hotly. “You shouldn’t—he shouldn’t—you don’t become that important to someone in such a short space of time! You’re telling me that if it was you competing in this bloody thing, you’d be rescuing _Krum_? Not your parents or… or…”

He’d said it to make a point of how ridiculous it was, how completely barking mad Krum had to be, but found that he couldn’t finish his sentence. He was suddenly very fearful of her answer. If Hermione were competing, who _would_ be here? _Would_ it be Krum?

Hermione’s expression softened. “No, of _course_ I wouldn’t. He’s very nice, but of course family… or friends,” she said, her face going very red, “are more important to me.”

“Well, well…” said Ron, struggling to say anything around the great rush of relief he suddenly felt. “That’s alright, then.”

“Aright, then,” she said.

"I still think it's weird," he insisted.

"Fine," answered Hermione crossly.

Ron crossed his arms over his chest and pretended to be very interested in reading the various plaques McGonagall had hung up on the wall behind her desk, still thinking angrily to himself. It was weird, no matter what Hermione said. Krum was eighteen, what was he playing at? And he hardly knew Hermione. They’d been to one ruddy ball together, and now he thought he knew her well enough that she’d become irreplaceable to him? He was an international Quidditch star. What was he doing coming in and showing all this interest in _Hermione_ , of all people?

Not that Hermione wasn’t interesting. She was, of course she was. She was the smartest person he knew. Quick, too. And brave, obviously. And she was great at arguing. And Ron supposed that her hair was nice, too, all curly around her face like that. And he’d be stupid to pretend that he hadn’t glanced at her arse every so often, because he was a bloke. All blokes did that. And it was a nice one, as arses went.

Hermione startled him out of his reverie. “ _Oh no_ , I’ve just realized, did you hear what McGonagall said? She’s going to cast the enchantment on us _tonight_.”

“Er, yeah…”

“So we won’t be able to go back and help Harry like we said we would!”

Ron’s stomach dropped. He’d nearly forgotten about Harry in the shock of being told he was to be held hostage at the bottom of a lake. The image of Harry’s head bent desperately over a book, his shoulders slumped, flashed in his mind.

“He’ll be alright,” he said, parroting Fred. “He’ll figure something out, he always manages to, in the end.”

“I hope so,” fretted Hermione. “Because he’s going to have to manage it alone this time.”

He would have to manage it alone. _He’s done things like this before, though_ , he told himself. Facing Quirrell in their first year, and then that bloody diary Riddle in their second. He’d done well in the first task too. Harry had guts, or whatever it was you needed to pull off insane things like that. He was sure that, he Ron, would be rescued, no matter how hopeless Harry had looked when they left him in the library.

"Harry is going to take this seriously, isn't he?" Ron asked, turning to Hermione.

"What do you mean?"

"When he finds out that it's us at the bottom of the lake. He's going to think we're going to die unless he manages to save us, isn't he?"

"Damn," said Hermione to Ron's amusement. "You're right."

"All the better for me, isn't it?" Ron teased. "At least I've got the champion who'd rather _die_ playing the hero, eh? There's no way Harry doesn't come in first, he'll go mental."

And then, as he imagined congratulating Harry for pulling it off at the last minute, it hit him in a way it hadn’t before, perhaps because the news that Hermione was here for Krum had been so distracting. Harry would be rescuing _him_. He, Ron, was the person Harry would miss most.

His stomach squirmed uncomfortably with guilt as he remembered the month he’d spent being jealous of Harry and refusing to speak to him. But he’d apologized, and that was behind them, now. And now… well, he was here. The person Harry would miss most. He felt oddly touched, and a bit silly for ever wondering whether he was as important to Harry as he was to him. 

Ron supposed Harry would be the one he’d be rescuing too, if their roles were reversed. He had his parents of course, and his brothers, and his sister, and Hermione. He’d miss all of them, any of them, so it was hard to choose only one. But Harry was probably the one he spent the most time with. He’d started to consider him as more of a brother than a mate, anyway, since he spent most of their holidays together.

 _But then_ , he thought with a pang, _Harry’s one of loads of people I have to choose from_. But Harry didn’t have any of those people, did he? No parents, no brothers or sisters, not even a random aunt or cousin who he liked. He had Sirius, but as Sirius was probably the most wanted wizard in Britain, he could hardly be there for Harry like a family member would. And they’d hardly spent any time together before Sirius had to go off on the run. _But he’s got us_ , he thought fiercely. _He’s got me, and Hermione, and my whole family_.

He’d thought, on many occasions, about what it must be like for Harry not to have parents or a nice family to go home to for the holidays. But it had never been so apparent to him before now that _he_ was Harry’s family. _He_ was who Harry had.

As McGonagall returned to her office with Professor Dumbledore and reassured them again that they would all be safe and informed them the enchantment would lift once their faces broke the surface of the lake, Ron resolved to write to his Mum as soon as possible. He didn’t know if it was allowed, but it might be nice if she and Dad, maybe Bill too, could come to support Harry for the last task. It wouldn’t make the task any less insane, he knew, but at least Harry would know they were out in the stands, supporting him in whatever mental thing they came up with for him to do next.

Because that was what family did, didn’t they?


End file.
